Permitting Process in Germany

The Nord Stream 2 Pipeline will cross both Germany’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its territorial waters (12 NM zone). This requires two different permits which fall under the responsibility of different permitting authorities.

For the German EEZ, according to the Federal Mining Law (Bundesberggesetz – BBergG), the responsible authority for carrying out the permitting procedure and issuing the permit is the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). The permitting process includes an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and further environmental assessment. An additional prerequisite for this permit was the approval of the project’s mining activities according to the BBergG, issued by the Stralsund Mining Authority. The permit for the German Exclusive Economic Zone was issued on March 27, 2018.

In German territorial waters, as prescribed by the German Energy Industry Law (Energiewirtschaftsgesetz – EnWG), the responsible authority for carrying out the permitting procedure and issuing the permit is the Stralsund Mining Authority. This permitting process also includes an EIA and further environmental assessment. In addition, the Stralsund Mining Authority is also responsible for the technical examination and acceptance of the project. The permit for German territorial waters was issued on January 31, 2018.

In parallel to the German permitting process, the two responsible German permitting authorities also carried out the EIA process in a transboundary context according to the UNECE Convention (“Espoo Convention”).

You’ll find more information on the permitting process for the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline in Germany here.